Mounting structure for drapery traverse rods



E. T. JANUS June 11, 1968 MOUNTING STRUCTURE FOR DRAPERY TRAVERSE RODS Filed Sept. 22, 1965 INVENTOR. I J EDWARD T. JANUS ATTORNEYS United States Patent ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A two-handed releasable mounting structure for drapery traverse rods wherein a pulley housing on the rod is secured to an adjustable bracket plate by a spring latch arm fixed to the top of the pulley housing and extending downwardly across the end of the bracket plate which extends into the housing with the latch are biased into a notch in the lower edge of the plate.

This invention relates to drapery traverse rods, and more particularly concerns a mounting assembly for releasably mounting the ends of such rods on wall surfaces.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide an end mounting structure for drapery traverse rods which permits the rod to be releasably mounted in place andalso removed without the use of tools.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a latching structure for securing the end of a drapery traverse rod to a wall bracket which is simple, easy to use and may be manufactured at low cost.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a latching structure for securing the end of a drapery traverse rod to a wall bracket in which the latch release element is unobtrusively but conveniently located in the end portion of the rod.

Other objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed out more in detail hereinafter.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combination of elements and arrangement of parts which will be exemplified in the construction hereafter set forth, and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the appended claim.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a drapery traverse rod embodying the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary rear view of the left end portion of the traverse rod shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 33 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 4-4 in FIG. 3 showing the parts partially assembled, and

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 55 in FIG. 3 showing the parts in assembled relation.

The drapery traverse rod illustrated in FIG. 1 comprises a pair of pulley housings 12, 14 located at the ends thereof, a pair of drapery carriers 16, 18 and a suitable number of drapery glides 20 for supporting drapery panels at spaced intervals along their top edges. The drapery carriers 16, 18 and the drapery glides 20 are mounted for sliding movement along the length of the rod 10 and a pull cord 22 trained over suitable pulleys (not shown) located in the pulley housings 12, 14 cooperates with the carriers 16, 18 in the usual manner to move them along the rod 10 to any desired position.

The ends of the traverse rod 10 are shown as being supported on a window frame 24 by a pair of wall brackets 26, 28 which are of identical construction and in fact are interchangeable. Similarly, the mounting structure components of the pulley housings 12, 14 are substantially identical and hence only one of the two end mounting structures for the traverse rod 10 is illustrated in detail in the drawing and will be described herein.

The wall bracket 26 is provided with a mounting flange 30 which may be secured to the window frame or adjacent wall surface by screws or other suitable fasteners. The top and bottom edges of the projecting portion of the wall bracket 26 are formed with inwardly turned lips 32, 34 forming a channel in which a projetcing plate 36 is positioned in telescoping relation. In order to assure that the projecting plate 36 may be rigidly secured to the wall bracket 26 the upper and lower edges 38, 40 are curved so as to engage the inner surfaces of the lips 32, 34. A screw 42 threaded in the wall bracket 26 extends through an elongated slot 44 in the projecting plate 36 so that after the projecting plate 36 has been extended to the desired position, the screw 42 may be tightened to hold the parts firmly together. Thus, the traverse rod 10 may be spaced from the window frame 24 as desired to provide proper spacing of the draperies from the window.

When the traverse rod 10 is mounted on the window frame 24 the free end of the projecting plate 36 is disposed Within the pulley housing 12 and these two members are firmly secured in latching engagement. Accordingly, there is provided an upper flange 46 and a lower flange 48 within the pulley housing 12 which, together with the end wall 50 define a channel shaped to receive the free end of the projecting plate 36. The upper flange 46 is preferably bent downwardly out of the plane of and integral with the top wall 52 while the lower flange 48 is an integral part of the end wall 50.

The pulley housing 12 and the projecting plate 36 are latched together by a spring arm 54 which is secured to the top wall 52 of the pulley housing 12 and bent so as to extend downwardly in generally parallel relation to the end wall 50. The spring arm 54 is biased against the lower edge of the end wall 50, and when the projecting plate 36 is positioned in the channel formed by the flanges 46, 48 the spring arm 54 enters a notch 56 formed in the lower edge of the end portion of the projecting plate 36. A corresponding notch 58 formed in the upper edge 38 of the projecting plate 36 performs the function of the notch 56 when the projecting plate 36 is use-d as a right hand support rather than a left hand support.

The lower end of the spring arm 54 is curved so as to form a camming surface 60 to facilitate the entry of the projecting plate 36 into the pulley housing 12, and cooperates with a curved end portion of the projecting plate 36 which forms a camming surface 62. Thus, when the traverse rod 10 is placed in the spaced position shown in FIG. 1 from the window frame 24 and then moved into engagement with the wall brackets 26 and 28, the end portion of the projecting plate 36 enters the pulley housing 12 whereupon the camming surface 62 engages the camming surface 60 on the spring arm 54 and displaces it sufficiently to permit the projecting plate 36 to reach the position in which the spring arm 54 snaps into the notch 56. In this manner the pulley housing 12 is firmly secured to the wall bracket 26 and assembly of the parts is accomplished simply by aligning the pulley housing 12 with the projecting plate 36 and then pressing it into place. The audible snap of the spring arm 54 entering the notch 56 provides assurance that the parts are properly assembled.

In order to permit the traverse rod 10 to be easily disassembled from the wall brackets 26, 28 the free end of the spring arm 54 extends downwardly below the lower edge of the end wall 50 so that it may be shifted away from the projecting plate 36 by finger pressure. When this is done the spring arm 54 is disengaged from the notch 56 and the pulley housing 12 may be withdrawn from the wall bracket 26. In order to prevent overstressing of the spring arm 54 when it is shifted to its unlatched position there is provided a strap 64 extending across the path of movement of the lower end portion of the spring arm 54. Preferably the strap 64 is formed as an integral part of the lower flange From the foregoing, it will be seen that the present invention provides an improved mounting structure for traverse rods which may be quickly secured to wall mounting brackets without the use of tools and which may be equally quickly detached for adjustment or repair. Further, the mounting structure is made of relatively uncomplicated sheet metal parts which are few in number, thus making possible manufacture at low cost. Finally, the latching arrangement of the present invention is positive and the mounting structure parts remain firmly secured together after assembly.

As will be apparent to persons skilled in the art, various modifications and adaptations of the structure above described will become readily apparent without departure from the spirit and scope of the invention, the scope of which is defined in the appended claim.

I claim:

1. Mounting structure for a drapery traverse rod cornprising a wall bracket including a vertically disposed projecting plate having a notch in the lower edge thereof spaced from its free end, a pulley housing secured to the end of the traverse rod, said pulley housing having an end wall and a top Wall, a downwardly extending flange integral with and bent out of the plane of said top wall adjacent said end wall, an upwardly extending flange integral with the lower edge of said side wall and adjacent thereto, said end wall and said flanges forming a channel shaped to receive said plate, a spring arm secured at its upper end to said top wall and extending downwardly across said channel, said spring arm being biased toward said channel with its free end lying in the path of travel of the lower edge of said plate when said housing is aligned for assembly with said wall bracket, and camming surfaces on the free ends of said plate and said spring arm shaped so as to cause said spring arm to ride over said plate and then snap into said notch when assembly of said housing and said wall bracket is completed, the free end of said spring arm extending beyond the lower edge of said end wall to provide a finger actuatable portion for disengaging said spring arm from said notch.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,011,748 12/1961 Brever 248-265 1,480,800 1/1924 Wait 248-262 1,564,747 12/1925 Barrett 248-262 2,747,218 5/ 1956 McMurray 16-94 MARVIN A. CHAMPION, Primary Examiner. JOSEPH H. MCGLYNN, Assistant Examiner. 

